Written by Nicole Gaudier, Curatorial Intern
Sara Pedigo, In the Night Kitchen, 2013, from the film stills What’s For Dinner, Oil on canvas
The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens would like to present Our Shared Past.
Shannon Estlund, Distance I, 2013, from the film still Blue Danny, Mixed media on canvas
This exhibition is a collaborative exhibition. Our Guest Curator, Jefree Shalev, found his parents 8mm home movies, from 1957 through 1968, at their home. Jefree offered to have the box of films transferred to DVD. As he watched them, he saw various scenes from his family’s life including his parents’ wedding, his mother’s graduation from nursing school, his first steps, and many childhood memories. Upon watching them, Shalev was struck by a combination of sadness and delight.
Mark George, Bobbing, 2013, from the film still Bobbing, Acrylic & Aerosol on Corrugated Plastic
Jefree Shalev selected 175 single frames from these movies. The stills were initially chosen for their colors, for the composition, for the way the figures communicate with each other, and often with the viewer.
Leslie Robison, Rush, 2013, from the film still A Landing Stuck, Oil on wood panel
He then invited local artists, whose work he admired, to create a new works of art inspired by these moments that would become a “shared past.”
Chip Southworth, Rise of the Matriarch, 2013, from the film still Split Screen, Mixed media (acrylic, graphite, ink and carbon on wood panels)
Together, through the investigation and manipulation of these iconic yet deeply personal images, the group of artists realized that there is nothing more fundamental than the joy and struggle we all experience finding our place within our own families and within our own memories. The truth about such things is hazy and sun bleached, like the films themselves. From our shared past, we concoct our very lives.
Liz Gibson, The Pledge, 2013, from the film still The Pledge, Watercolor on paper
The artists and their works are being highlighted in a series of blogs looking at each artist individually, their interpretations and their own artistic identities.
Jason John, With the Donkey, 2013, from the film still Donkey, Oil on canvas.
There will be artist appearances at the Stein Gallery January through April. Each Saturday, artists from the exhibition will be in the Gallery from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Others will make appearances throughout the day on Weaver Free Saturdays (the first Saturday of each month), and on Tuesday evenings during the exhibition.
Tony Wood, Bridesmaids and Bouquets, 2013, from the film still Brooklyn, Oil and mixed media on canvas.
The exhibition will be on view in the Stein Gallery from December 17, 2013 to May 25, 2014.
